KUALA LUMPUR – Newly-appointed head of the career department at the Malaysian Athlete Career and Education (Mace) Shalin Zulkifli wants athletes to have a backup plan in the event of their retirement from sports.
The bowling legend is tasked with leading the career division, which is one of the three thrusts under Mace – career, education, and welfare – starting on January 3.
Mace, under the purview of the National Sports Council (NSC), was created to provide a platform to bring in programmes that can assist national athletes with their career progression, inside and outside of sports.
Speaking with The Vibes, Shalin said she wishes to help athletes excel in their job interviews and chart promising career paths.
“Under Mace, we also have memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with universities nationwide so that athletes could easily enrol into any course of their choice,” Shalin said.
“With this, they could obtain the required qualification to work anywhere once they decide to retire from sports.
“They also need to consider if their contract doesn’t get renewed or if they suffer injuries and are forced to retire.”
The national tenpin bowling icon said some athletes work part-time jobs when they are not training. This helps fill up their time and build vital experience when there are no tournaments.
Shalin also encouraged athletes to form an alternative plan to move forward in the case of contract expiry or termination.
“We need to invest in ourselves. The progression from being an athlete to a working individual can be tough,” Shalin added.
“Many athletes could fall into depression after they retire from sports due to uncertainties in their life trajectory.
“Athletes also shouldn’t rely solely on their career as a sportsperson. Instead, they should opt to have a dual career.”
Shalin further explained that a lot of athletes could get scholarships and enrol into tertiary education, which would help with their career progression once they graduate.
“When they go out (to find a job), their sports achievements will be an added advantage but they still need to have the required (academic) qualifications,” she added.
Other athletes who may not be interested in studying could also enrol in technical schools or complete short courses.
“I wish to create more awareness among athletes to prepare themselves before jumping into the working environment because I feel that awareness has been severely lacking,” Shalin said.
“A lot of programmes have been organised for athletes but there hasn’t been much support from them and attendance has been quite low.
“I don’t blame them because sometimes all they want is to just compete in tournaments.”
Although Shalin has bowed out from the national team, the 43-year-old former world champion is still competing and aiming to achieve the professional title from the US Open – one of the most difficult tournaments to bowl as of date.
“I’ve gone through more than what the younger athletes are going through now. I feel like I have a huge responsibility to share my knowledge and experience to guide them to the right path so that they don’t have to face the same mistakes as their seniors did.
“They can do better than us,” Shalin said. – The Vibes, January 23, 2022
